Hand-strap for street-cars



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HAND STRABFOR STREET ems. No. 490,191. Patented Jan. 17, 1893.

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2 SheetsSheet 2. S. A. PLANIGAN. HAND STRAP FOR STREET CARS. No.490,191.

Patented Jan. 17,1893.

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UNITED STATES PATENT @EEicE.

STEPHEN ALLEN FLANIGAN, OF WVA'PERVLIET, NEW YORK.

HAN D-STRAP FOR STREET-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 490,191, dated January17, 1893. Application filed (Jotober 17,1892. Serial No. 449,125. (Nomodel-l To all whom it may concern:

Beitknown that I, STEPHEN ALLEN FLANI- GAN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at the town of Watervliet, in the county of Albany andState of New York, have invented certain new andusefullmprovementsinStraps for Street-Cars and other Oonveyances; and Ido declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon,which form apart of this specification.

My invention relates to straps for street cars and other vehiclesusually employed for aiding the passengers in standing upon their feetwhile the car is in motion when seats cannot ,be had; and it has for itsobject, not only to provide an extensible and automatically retractablestrap so that it may be drawn down to suit the height of the personusing it and which will be retracted when the grasp of the hand thereonis released, but one in which the life of the strap will be prolongedand in which the strap will not bind on any part of the casing or shellcontaining the same, there being provided means for holding the strapaway from the sharp and angular corners and edges of the shell, while atthe same time permitting the strap to be drawn in and out of the shellwith case.

It further has for its object to provide a shellor casing that may beadjusted and fixed to hang at any desired angle or vertically when thesupporting beam is curved or irre ular in shape.

It further has for its object to provide improved means for securing theinner end of the strap to the rotatable shaft or drum contained withinthe shell or casing so that when necessary the strap may be readilyreplaced by another and yet securely held to the shaft or drum.

It has further for its object to generally improve the construction andthe operation of a device of the kind mentioned so that it will be moreefficientand satisfactory than under previous constructions.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and such other objects as mayhereinafter appear, the invention consists in the construction andcombination of parts hereinafter described and then sought to beparticularly defined by the claims, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings forming part hereof, and in which Figure 1 isaside elevation of the device as applied to a cross timber or barusually found at the top of the car, Fig. 2 is a side view of the devicewith its face plate removed and parts in section, Fig. 3 is a front viewof the division plate which separates the coiled spring from theenlarged part of the drum upon which the strap is wound, Fig. 4 is avertical section through the device on the line 44 of Fig. 5,Fig. 5 is across section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4, Fig. 6 is a cross sectionthrough the drum or enlarged portion of the shaft in which the strap issecured and upon which it is wound, Fig. 7 is a plan view of this shaftand drum, and Fig. 8 is a plan of the bearing plate which is pressedagainst the strap to secure it to the shaft or drum.

In the drawings the numeral 1 designates the shell or case which isusually cast in one piece with the ear 2 at its upper end through whichand the lugs 3 of the plate 4: a pin or screw 5 is passed so as to pivotthe shell in a manner that will permit it to be adjusted back and forthand secured at the adjustment by tightening the screw 5, the plate 4being secured to the cross piece 6 by the screws 7 as indicated clearlyin Fig. 4 of the drawings. This is for the purpose of having the shelland the handle of the strap to hang vertically and to be secured rigidlyin that position. The cross beams of the car-roof in a number ofinstances are curved and in some cases to a greater extent than others,and as this device is attached to the cross beam and designed to berigid it would hang obliquely or at an angle to a vertical line unlesssome means be provided to adjust it to conform to the curvature of thecross beam. By my construction I am enabled to adjust the shell back andforth to the extent necessary to compensate for the curvature and bringthe shell and handle to a vertical position and then rigidly secure itin that position. The shell or casing is provided with a removable faceplate 8 secured thereto by screws 9 entering lugs 10 formed on the shellor case so that access may be had to the interior ofthe shell for thepurpose of adjusting the opening parts in place and removing them fromthe shell when desired. The lower part of the shell or case is formedwith a slot or opening 11 for the passage of the strap 12, and withinthe shell or case is journ'alcd a shaft 13, one end having its bearingin the removable face plate and the other end in the rear wall of theshell or case as clearly illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawings. Thisshaft is formed with an enlargement 14 which serves as a drum on whichto wind the strap 12. The enlargement or drum is formed with a slot 15passing transversely through it, and into this slot is passed theirnerend of the strap 12 which is secured therein by means of a set screw 16passed into the enlargement or drum and having its inner end bearingagainst a plate 17 which slides in the slot 15 and is pressed againstthe strap 12 by the screw 16 so as to securely clamp the strap to theenlargement or drum. By this constructionwhenever it is desired toremove the strap for the purpose of replacing it with another it can bereadily affected by simply loosening the screw 16 and then removing theplate 17 and drawing out the strap.

In order to prevent the strap 12 from bearing against the edge of theslot 11 through which it passes, and also to hold it in proper positionso as to pass with the least friction through the slot as indicated inFigs. 2and 4 of the drawings, I provide two rollers 18, one located oneach side of the slotwith their adjacent surfaces extending partiallyover the slot as indicated in Fig. 4t of the drawings and journaled atone end in the rear wall of the casing and at the other end in theremovable face plate, so that they serve to guide the strap, and also tohold it from contact with the shell or casing whereby it is caused towork easier and with less friction than otherwise and to last muchlonger than would be the case if this construction were not used. Forthe purpose of winding up this strap on the drum 14,when the grasp ofthe hand thereon is released, I employ a coiled spring 19, one end ofwhich is secured to the inside of the shell by the pin or screw 20 andthe other end to the pin or hook 21 projecting from the shaft 13 so thatas the strap 12 is pulled out the spring is contracted and when thepressure on the strap is released the recoil of the spring will rotatethe shaft 13 so as to draw the strap Within the shell and wind it up onthe shaft. The coil spring 19 is separated from the enlargement or drum14c by a partition 22 which fits over the shaft 13 and is cut away atits periphery at the two points 23 and 24 so as to pass the lugs 10 androllers 18 when inserted in place, but this construction may be greatlyvaried as the particular eonstruction of this plate constitutes nomaterial part of the invention.

' To the outer end of the strap 12, there is secured a finger clasp orhandle 25, the handle being formed with a slot 26 to receive the end ofthe strap which is held therein by the screw 27, and a facing of leatheror other material 28 may be secured to the handle next to the shell soas to form a cushion between the handle and the shell when the two partsare brought together.

The device constructed as described is in expensive in its manufacture,and very efficientin service, and overcomes many objec-' tions toconstructions heretofore employed in devices of this character, and itsseveral parts accomplish in a. very satisfactory degree the severalobjects hereinbefore set forth.

I have described with particularity the details of construction of theseveral parts and their combinations,but I do not mean to confine myseltto such exactdetails when the same result can beaccomplishedbyimmaterial alterations in the details.

Having described my invention and set forth its merits, what I claimis:- I

1. The combination with the laterally adjustable shell containing theextensible strap and means for retracting it, of the car extending fromsaid shell,a support with which said ear is connected to sustaintheshell, and means for securing the shell to its adjustment, substantiallyas and for the purposes described.

2. The combination with the shell formed with an elongated opening forthe passage of a strap, of a rotatable shaft contained within said shelland having the strap connected thereto, a spring acting on said shaft toretract the strap, and guide rollers located on opposite sides of theelongated opening for the passage of the strap and lying on oppositesides of the strap, and free to be rotated by the movement of the strap,substantially as and for the purposes described.

3. The combination with the shell and the strap passing through theopening therein, of the rotatable shaft contained within said shell andformed with a slot in which the inner end of said strap is fitted, aplate within said slot and bearing against the strap, and a set screwfor pressing said plate against the strap to clamp it to said strap,substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

STEPHEN ALLEN FLANIGAN.

\Vit n esses:

HENRY GOYETTE, WILLIAM DOTY.

